The Kia Stinger debuted in January 2017 and received a facelift in August last year. Next year, Kia will pull the plug on its fastback sports sedan, as per a report from The Korean Car Blog. While there were speculations made last year that Kia would introduce a next-gen Stinger with an electric powertrain, the latest report suggests the axe for the nameplate.
Note that Kia has not confirmed the discontinuation of the Stinger, and the information is based on media speculation.
Kia Stinger to exit production by mid-2022
Kia manufactures the Stinger at the Sohari plant (AutoLand Gwangmyeong) in South Korea for the global market. Reported sales are not favoring the Stinger, which competes with entry-level sedans from Mercedes, BMW, and Audi. The facelift tried to turn things around, albeit unsuccessfully. According to the report, the company has decided to stop producing the Stinger by Q2 2022 (April-June 2022).
Last year a report from TopGear.com suggested that Kia Motors may want Stinger to be the model that upholds the brand’s core values and that the global shift towards EVs could push Stinger in that direction in its second generation.
The buyer trend is towards SUVs and crossovers, but Kia’s Head of Design, Karim Habib, hoped the Stinger continues as a sports saloon. Speaking to TopGear, Habib said that he hopes Stinger’s spirit stays at the core of Kia as the company changes as a brand. He said that as the technology is moving in the direction of EVs, the concept should also evolve, and the sporty, affordable and beautiful sculpture of the Stinger should live on in the brand.
EV6 to be the Stinger’s indirect successor?
Perhaps, the Kia EV6 will serve as the spiritual successor to the Kia Stinger. The all-new electric car based on the E-GMP platform is sporty yet athletic, features a head-turning design, and offers phenomenal performance. In fact, the EV6 sets the bar for every new Kia coming into the market. 0-100 km/h in 3.5 seconds, 260 km/h of top speed, mid-size SUV-like space in compact SUV exterior dimensions, and many other attractions make it the worthy successor to the Stinger. As a pure electric vehicle, it is also future-proof.
Featured image: Kia
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